Hundreds of cases of a mysterious fatal respiratory illness in dogs have been reported throughout the country as veterinarians rush to find out what is behind it.
With instances recently reported in Oregon, Indiana, Illinois, Washington, Idaho, California, Nevada, and throughout the Northeast, experts say that the first symptom is a “pervasive cough that can last for several weeks and is resistant to traditional antibiotic treatments,” Fox News reports.
The Oregon Department of Agriculture received “over 100 reports of illness meeting the criteria from veterinarians” since mid-August, with the majority centered around Portland and Salem.
The department listed symptoms including sneezing, eye or nose discharge, fatigue, blue or purple gums from oxygen deprivation, trouble breathing, and negative tests for other common respiratory illnesses.
“It seems to happen very, very quickly,” Dr. Lindsay Ganzer of Colorado Springs’ North Springs Veterinary Referral Center told TODAY. “[Dogs] go from this cough that just won’t go away… then all of a sudden they develop this pneumonia.”
Ganzer estimated her hospital has seen nearly 30 dogs with the condition…
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